What is a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND)?

A person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

They may have:

• a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age
• a disability which prevents or hinders them making use of the facilities of a kind generally provided for others in mainstream schools.

The SEND Code of Practice uses four broad areas to describe need: cognition and learning; communication and interaction; social, emotion and mental health and; physical and sensory.

What We Do:

Assess

Early identification is key to successful support. All children are monitored closely by their class teachers who will raise any concerns they may have with the SENDCo and parents. You know your children best so please do raise any concerns you have with their teacher. Termly pupil progress meetings are held between class teachers, Headteacher and SENCo to monitor and review attainment and progress and to support all children.

Following a discussion with the SENDCo, teachers may use a range of trackers to assess a child’s areas of strength and barriers to learning, including the Somerset Graduated Response Tool. Further assessments may be carried out by the SENCo to better understand the child’s needs.

With parental consent, the SENCo may refer the child to external agencies. Agencies we work closely with are Occupational Therapy (OT), Speech and Language, Autism and Communication, Behaviour Support, School Nurse, PFSA, CAMHS, Learning Support Services and Educational Psychologists. Children with complex needs may require an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) and may be in receipt of High Needs Funding in order to meet their needs effectively. Further information about EHCPs is available here: Education, Health and Care plans (somerset.gov.uk).

Plan

Within our high quality teaching, opportunities are planned by class teachers to meet all children’s needs within that class. Where appropriate, specific interventions may be delivered by our TA team to provide targeted small group or individual work.

For children identified with SEND, parents, teachers and pupils work together to create Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) to plan and review specific learning targets. Staff use provision maps and the Graduated Response Tool when planning support.

Do

Within class your child may be supported by staff, through differentiation of the task, practical resources or interventions.

Beyond this children may be supported by staff through additional input, additional feedback or more specific program to address a certain area such as Phonics, motor skills or emotional regulation.

Review

We track and monitor the progress of all children in school and holding two parents’ evenings a year and provide an annual report.

Children receiving SEND support or those with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) will have an annual review to celebrate the progress they have made and look at ways that we can further support the child’s learning. All additional input is recorded and all interventions are tracked for impact.

Pupil and Parent/Guardian involvement

Your involvement is important to us. We know that support is most effective when planned with staff, parent/guardian and pupil input. Your views are very welcome as you know your child best and often see different versions of them at home than we do in school. Documentation is co-produced with parents/guardians and children are encouraged to be involved in Annual Review meeting.

Transition

EYFS staff complete a visit to each child’s house to support transition in to school. Children identified as having SEND will have a School Entry Plan meeting to ensure a plan is in place before they start. This will be attended by the SENCo and staff from both settings, parents and any other agencies involved. In the autumn term, our new intake of reception children have a phased entry in to school.

In Year 6, in addition to the July transition days to secondary schools for all pupils, children identified with SEND may require extra sessions to enable a positive transition. Secondary school SENCos may attend annual review meetings, visit the school or hold meetings with the SENCo to ensure that all information about the children is shared prior to them starting in Year 7.